The Belfast Opera is Belfast's people telling Belfast's story. And we want you to help us make it a reality.

A hugely ambitious project to createand perform a brand new opera from the stories of Belfast's people, The Belfast Opera is inspired by the city's great industrial and commercial heritage. But we want it to tell a story about the city's future. And we want you to help us tell it.

The memories and hopes of hundreds of Belfast residents have been gathered. Glenn Patterson, the award-winning writer, has shaped these into the opera's libretto, and Neil Martin, the equally award-winning musician, is composing the music.

It is now over to Belfast's people to rise to the challenge of performing and producing The Belfast Opera in June 2016.

What do we need and how will we use it?

We need £12,000 to make it happen.

That £12,000 will help us deliver the World Premiere performances of The Belfast Opera on June 17th, 18th and 19th, 2016 in the historic and partially regenerated Carlisle Memorial Church.

It will help create a unique 120-member Community Chorus. With people who have never sung before, seasoned singers, and everyone in between, The Belfast Opera Chorus will be Belfast people singing The Belfast Opera.

It will help create a special Community Creatives team of 50 young people who want to develop new skills. They will work alongside the professional crew to build the set, make the costumes, operate the lights, provide front-of-house support, and help with all of the other technical aspects of making The Belfast Opera a reality.

It will help pay for the roughly 20 early-career musicians who will play the music.

£12,000 will help create a new, positive story about Belfast. It will inspire people to try new things. It will build skills amongst the city's young people. It will help produce a spectacular public showcase for Belfast as a confident and ambitious city.Please help us make it happen!